Drone attack forces all four Moscow airports to suspend operations
A large-scale drone attack forced all four Moscow airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo — to fully suspend operations, with Russia's civil aviation authority redirecting flights to alternate airfields. Flightradar24 data showed the airspace over most of European Russia empty of civil aircraft, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported dozens of drones intercepted heading toward the capital.
Key points
- All four Moscow airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo — fully suspended operations.
- Rosaviatsia redirected aircraft to alternate airfields in other cities, citing flight safety.
- Flightradar24 showed no aircraft over Moscow and empty airspace across most of European Russia.
- Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported drones shot down heading toward the capital starting from 23:00, with his count reaching 59.
- Yaroslavl Oblast declared a red threat level tied to strike drones, with traffic on the Yaroslavl-to-Moscow road suspended.
- Explosions and air defense activity were reported in Smolensk and Ryazan.
- In the week leading up to October 15, The Atlantic calculated 345 flights cancelled at Moscow airports.
Why it matters
The simultaneous shutdown of all four Moscow airports is unusual and points to an attack large enough to disrupt civil aviation across the Russian capital. Flightradar24 data showing civil aircraft widely avoiding European Russian airspace indicates the disruption extended far beyond the city itself.
What happened
A large-scale drone attack caused temporary restrictions on the acceptance and departure of aircraft at Moscow airports Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo, according to Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia. All four airports fully suspended operations, with aircraft redirected to alternate airfields in other cities on flight safety grounds. Flightradar24 data showed no aircraft over Moscow at the time of reporting, with civil aviation broadly avoiding the airspace over the European part of Russia. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported drones shot down heading toward the Russian capital starting from 23:00, with his count reaching 59. The attack's reach extended beyond the capital: Yaroslavl Oblast declared a red threat level tied to strike drones and local emergency services suspended traffic on the Yaroslavl-to-Moscow road, while Russian media and residents reported explosions and intensive air defense activity in Smolensk and Ryazan. Local residents posted photos and videos of intense fires on social media. Rosaviatsia's statement did not specify when the restrictions were imposed or when flights would resume. Russian officials did not report the consequences of the attacks.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The Ukrainian source centers the impact on Russian civil aviation infrastructure and airspace, citing Flightradar24 data and Rosaviatsia to show the disruption to Russian domestic air travel. The source highlights Russian officials' framing of drone interceptions and notes the absence of reported consequences on the Russian side.
Background
The disruption is part of a longer pattern: since the start of September, Ukrainian drones have been disrupting air traffic over Moscow almost daily. In the week leading up to October 15, The Atlantic calculated 345 flights cancelled at Moscow airports. On October 9, an airplane associated with Putin was unable to land in the Russian capital and returned to Saint Petersburg. Yaroslavl Oblast declared a red threat level tied to strike drones, with emergency services reporting a suspension of traffic on the Yaroslavl-to-Moscow road. Social media posts from residents showed intense fires associated with the attack.